Sweeney Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota68 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sweeney Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Salinity / chlorides
- 28 ft max depth
Sweeney Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 67.64 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 1991 caught 2.00 northern pike per gill net at Sweeney Lake. DNR survey details →
Sweeney Lake is a 68-acre mesotrophic lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 28 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 80 other monitored lakes in Hennepin County, Sweeney Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sweeney Lake covers about 68 acres in Hennepin County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Sweeney Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Sweeney Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing12 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sweeney Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sweeney Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sweeney Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sweeney Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft. Phosphorus 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.6 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 23µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sweeney Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sweeney Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 71°F) and coldest in Jan (about 36°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (36°F) to its warmest (71°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 196 field readings (2011–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sweeney Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 1991 caught 2.00 northern pike per gill net at Sweeney Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sweeney Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1991-07-01 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1991-07-01 (Standard Survey)
35 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 60.35 | 0.11 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 10.71 | 0.2 lb | |
| Black Bullhead | 8.71 | 0.33 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 3.28 | 3.17 lb | |
| Common Carp | 2.48 | 5.07 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
From the 1991-07-01 survey
THE PRESENT FISH POPULATION IS DOMINATED BY BLHS, SMALL CEN, CATOSTOMIDS AND CYPRINIDS. BLGS AND BLBS WERE SAMPLED WELL ABOVE MEDIAN LEVELS; BLG AVERAGED 12.06 FISH PER POUND AND HAVE A PSD=10.1. BLBS AVERAGED 8.5-8.9 INCHES TOTAL LENGTH AND 2.88 FISH PER POUND. CARP WERE SAMPLED SLIGHTLY ABOVE MEDIAN LEVELS FOR…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sweeney Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SweeneyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
28 ft
Surface area
68 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
50%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Sweeney Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Sweeney Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sweeney Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.17 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.1 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Sweeney Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN27-0035-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Sweeney Lake
Where is Sweeney Lake?
- Sweeney Lake is a lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sweeney Lake?
- Sweeney Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 67.64 acres.
Is Sweeney Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sweeney Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Sweeney Lake?
- Sweeney Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 196 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sweeney Lake?
- Sweeney Lake has a maximum depth of 28 feet. The lake covers 67.64 acres.
What fish are in Sweeney Lake?
- Fish species found in Sweeney Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sweeney Lake is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sweeney Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 1991 caught 2.00 northern pike per gill net at Sweeney Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sweeney Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Sweeney Lake?
- Public access to Sweeney Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Sweeney Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
126 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA126 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder